Over 2,800 farmers died by suicide in Karnataka since 2023-24 FY: Minister
Bengaluru (PTI): A total of 2,809 farmers have died by suicide in Karnataka since the 2023-24 fiscal year, with the state ranking second in the country for such suicides, Minister N Cheluvarayaswamy has informed the state legislative assembly.
In a written reply to a question from BJP MLA Arvind Bellad during the ongoing winter session in Belagavi, the state agricultural minister said that 1,254 farmer suicides were reported in 2023-24 fiscal, 1,178 in 2024-25, and 377 cases were recorded in 2025-26 (as of now).
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According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), Karnataka ranks second nationally in farmer suicides. However, Cheluvarayaswamy noted a decrease in suicides compared to the previous three years.
Data provided by the minister revealed that Haveri reported the highest number of suicides, with 297 cases, followed by Belagavi at 259, Kalaburagi (234), Dharwad (195), and Mysuru (190).
In terms of compensation, the state government disbursed Rs 54 crore to 1,081 eligible farmer families in 2023-24, Rs 44.8 crore to 896 families in 2024-25, and Rs 9.65 crore to 193 families in 2025-26 (until November). There are 112 cases still under review.
The government attributed the delay in compensation payments to technical issues, assuring that once resolved, payments will be made promptly.
Of the 1,254 suicides reported in 2023-24, 164 cases were rejected, and 1,090 families were deemed eligible for compensation.
In the 2024-25 fiscal year, 156 cases were rejected, with 1,022 families eligible. For the current fiscal year (2025-26), 46 cases out of 377 suicides were rejected, and 310 families have been deemed eligible for compensation.
BJP State President B Y Vijayendra criticised the Congress-led state government, accusing it of "divine negligence" over the issue of farmer suicides.
"There is no excuse for the negligence of this corrupt Congress government, which has failed to address the plight of farmers. In the last 2.5 years, Karnataka has become second in farmer suicides," he said on 'X'.
It is "shocking" that 2,809 farmers have taken their lives under their rule, he added.
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IAS officer row: Congress urges President Murmu not to accept resignation
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Thursday urged President Droupadi Murmu not to accept the "technical resignation" of IAS officer Rinkoo Singh Rahee and demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government be directed to provide work to the officer who has sought return to his parent Provincial Civil Services, citing prolonged lack of work.
Congress SC Department chairman Rajendra Pal Gautam said that even today, when a Dalit youth works hard to become an IAS-PCS officer, he or she has to face harassment.
"The situation becomes such that the officers are forced to resign from their job. One such officer is Rinkoo Singh Rahee Ji. When Rinkoo Singh Ji was a PCS officer, he exposed a scam in which crores of rupees had been embezzled. At that time, a murderous attack was carried out on him, and he was shot," Gautam said at a press conference.
"Look at the spirit of national service: Rinkoo Ji recovered and returned, becoming an IAS officer, but he continued to be punished for his honesty and kept being transferred repeatedly. Now the situation is that for the past eight months, he hasn't been assigned any work at all; no important or key position has been given to him. In such a situation, Rinkoo Ji refused to accept his salary and submitted a technical resignation," he said.
Is there no need for such honest officers in the country, the Congress leader asked.
"Will any officer be punished for being a Dalit?" he said.
"I demand from the Honourable President of the country that the technical resignation of IAS Rinkoo Singh Rahee Ji should not be accepted. At the same time, the UP government should be directed to provide work to him," Gautam said.
Rahee, currently attached to the Board of Revenue in Lucknow, has written to the President requesting repatriation to PCS, stating that he has remained without any defined responsibilities for around eight months.
When asked about his step, Rahee told PTI that his move should not be construed as an attempt to exit public service, emphasising that it was a procedural step.
"I am not talking about quitting the system. It is a technical resignation only. I consider the constitutional system to be good; if there are some shortcomings, they can be amended," he said.
Rahee also dismissed suggestions of personal distress or harassment, stating, "I have no personal issues. I am not personally harassed, not in depression, I have already faced the worst."
In his letter to the President dated March 26, Rahee has sought permission to tender a technical resignation from the IAS, citing moral dilemma over continuing in service without substantive responsibilities while drawing salary and benefits.
He stated that his adherence to constitutional values and an accountability-driven work approach had led to a sense of "unsuitability" within the prevailing administrative system.
